Process for fabricating three-dimensional polymer layer structures

ABSTRACT

A process for the fabrication of polymer layers structured in three dimensions, such as of lenses, which are applied to the end of optical fibers or of laser light sources. Dry resist that is polymerizable through exposure is used as a base substance. The dry resist is applied to a substrate and is exposed with a dose apportionment that is predefined as a function of space and time in a structure region. The structure region is precalculated with submicrometer precision using image-processing methods and exhibits the form of the desired lens. The lens-shaped structure region that is polymerized through exposure is removed from the unexposed dry resist. The process of the present invention makes it possible to place lenses on an optical fiber or a laser with submicrometer precision.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabrication of formed polymer layers, structured in three dimensions, and, in particular, to fabrication of optical lenses.

RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Lenses are used in integrated optics, in particular, for coupling optical lasers to optical fibers.

One known method for coupling lasers and fibers using lithographic processes discloses installing taper couplers along with a laser when it is assembled in an indium phosphide base material. See

1.) R. Zengerle, H. J. Brückner, H. W. P. Koops, H.-J. Olzhausen, G. Zesch, A. Kohl, A. Menschig, “Fabrication of Optical Beamwidth Transformers for Guided Waves on InP Using Wedge-Shaped Tapers”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 9 (6) (1991) 3459.

Curved interfaces, such as cylindrical lenses, which are directly contiguous to the laser and have a focusing effect in one sectional plane, may be defined by means of nanolithography using corpuscular beam lithography and dry-etched by means of reactive dry-etching in additional process steps. See

2.) Unger, V. Boegli, P. Buchmann, R. Germann, “High Resolution Electron Beam Lithography for Fabricating Visible Semiconductor Lasers with Curved Mirrors and Integrated Holograms”, Microelectronic Eng. 23, (1994) 461. Glass spheres may be micromechanically adjusted and bonded to flash-etched glass fibers. The glass spheres may optically adapt in both directions, with rotational symmetry, the emission profile of the glass fibers. See

3.) R. H. Bellmann, N. F. Borelli, J. Dafin, L. G. Mann, B. H. Raeder, “Precision Glass Microlens Array by a Photo-Thermnal Technique”, SPIE O-E Lase 88, (Jan.14, 1988).

By fusing the fibers and rounding them off in a thermal process, as well as by means of laser ablation or mechanical polishing, round end profiles can be produced on the fiber ends.

Glass members may be produced as separate structural components having suitable curvature at the ends. The glass members may be inserted as interposed lenses into the optical transmission channel to achieve the desired coupling objective. Adjustment to submicrometer precision can constitute a problem See

4.) SMILE lenses produced by CORNING, France.

5.) GRIN lenses produced by NIPPON SHEET GLASS, Japan, NSG-Selfog Product Guide, NSG America Inc., Somerset, N.J. 08873.

Known methods do not teach using three-dimensional patterned polymer layers as refractive lenses in integrated optics. See

6.) R. Dändliker, R. Völkel, H. P. Herzig, W. B. Hugle, “Photolithography with Lenslet Arrays”, IG-Fachbericht 132 “Vacuum Electronics and Displays”, (1995) 241;

7.) A. Stemmer, H. Zarschizky, F Mayerhofer, G. Lefranc, H. W. Schneider, P. Galloway, SPIE, vol. 1732, Holographics International, 92, 77;

8.) A. Stemmer, H. Zarschizky, E. Knapek, G. Lefranc, H. Scherer-Winner, “Design and Fabrication of Multilevel Diffractive Optical Elements (DOES) and Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs)”, Microelectronic Engineering, vol. 21, no. 1-4, (1993) 471-474;

9.) C. Dix, P. F. McKee, A. R. Thurlow, J. R. Towers, D. C. Wood, N. J. Dawes, J. T. Whitney, “Electron-Bearn Fabrication and Focused Ion-Beam Inspection of Submicron Structured Diffractive Optical Elements”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 12(6) (1994) 3708-37011; and

10.) P. D. Maker, R. E. Müller, “Phase holograms in polymethylmethacrylate” , J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 10(6) (1992) 2516.

Attempts have also been made in gas-discharging processes to produce electron-sensitive polymerizates, useful applications of which remains to be determined. See

11.) O. Joubert, T. Weidmami, A. Joshi, R. Cirelli, S. Stein, J. T. C. Lee, S. Vaidya, “Plasma Polymerized All-Dry Resist Process for 0.25 μm Photolithography”, J. Vac. Technol. B 12(6) (1994) 3909.

At the Techno Center in Moscow, a substance has been synthesized as dry resist for corpuscular beam and optical lithography. This substance works with a sensitivity similar to that of the known electron resist PMMA (polymethacrylate). This resist, which has a resolution capability that is suitable for lithography, is vapor-deposited and dry-developed under a vacuum. Because there is no need for wet process steps, the resist is very environmentally clean. See

12.) S. V. Babin, A. l. Holopkin, M. N. Lyakhov, K. A. Valiev, L. V. Velikov, E. N. Zhikharev, Microcircuit Engineering 23 (1994) 303; and

13.) V. P. Karchkov, T. N. Martynova, V. S. Damlovich, Thin Solid Films 4 (1983) 3696

When corpuscular beam-induced deposition is used, it is possible to locally convert monomers, adsorbed from the gas phase, into polymers. This process does not require any development when producing three-dimensional polymer structures. See

14.) H. W. P. Koops, R. Weiel, D. P. Kern, T. H. Baum, “High Resolution Electron Beam Induced Deposition”, Proc. 31. Int. Symp. on Electron, Ion and Photon Beams, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 6 (1) (1988) 477.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The process of the present invention is based on using a polymerizable dry resist and on the selective exposure of dry resist areas, preferably with the inclusion of the corpuscular beam-induced deposition process.

Octavinylsilsesquioxane dry resist that is polymerizable using photon or corpuscular beams is particularly suitable for use as a dry resist.

In accordance with the present invention, the polymerizable dry resist is applied to the end surface of an optical structure and irradiated in one region which corresponds to the form of the desired optical lens. The region to be irradiated is preferably defined through the use of imnage-processing methods. In this way structure region precalculated for the lens is defined with submicrometer precision. This region undergoes a controlled irradiation process. The irradiation parameters necessary for the irradiation process, ie., those required to apportion the dosed radiation as a function of space and time, are determnined on the basis of the desired lens form. The irradiation process is then carried out automatically using computerized control processes.

The lens-shaped structure region polymerized by the irradiation is subsequently removed from the unexposed dry resist.

Methods for removing the polymerized structure region include the following:

1. The lens-shaped structure region polymerized through exposure is removed from the dry resist using physical development, such as heating under a high vacuum;

2. The lens-shaped structure region polymerized through exposure is removed from the dry resist using physical development, such as heating by air; and

3. The lens-shaped structure region polymerized through exposure is removed from the dry resist using dry-chemical development, such as processing in a gas discharge.

One embodiment of the present invention comprises applying, prior to exposure, the polymerizable dry resist used as starting substance to the three-dimensional, optical lens surface. This embodiment is especially advantageous when working with optical fibers or laser light sources whose optical output faces are to be adapted to curved ray paths.

The process of the present invention makes it possible to produce miniaturized, refractive lenses having a spherical or a non-spherical geometry. By selecting different profiles in various spatial directions, the beam characteristic of a given optional fiber or laser can be accurately corrected. The emissivity or acceptance characteristic can be adjusted to a rotationally symmetric profile or to a previously defined profile. In the same way, prisms and beam splitters can be directly produced. These components are removed from the resist using dry-chemical development, eg.; precipitation of organic compounds.

This technique can also be used to produce lens arrays on surfaces for use in the parallel, optical focusing of a plurality of pixels in an array pattern. Such focusing may be required for enhancing the sensitivity of optical detectors, flat TV cameras or diode arrays. The process is also suited for producing aspherical surfaces having complex sectional curves. The invention makes is possible to center the desired elements with submicrometer precision to the necessary application site.

An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, a dry-resist technique is used to coat the small end surface of an optical fiber or a laser with a material from which an optically effective three-dimensional structure is fabricated, as indicated by the numeral 102 in FIG. 1. This makes it possible to pre-process a surface that otherwise would not be accessible, with a high level of precision. The desired end product may thus be fabricated at a precise location. Using a scanning electron microscope in a lithographic process, image-processing methods can be applied to place a pattern with submicrometer precision on the fibers or the laser. The pattern can be adapted to the existing three-dimensional surface of the fiber or of the laser. This patterning process is denoted by number 104 in FIG. 1. The dry resist is thermally developed following exposure, as indicated by the numeral 106 in FIG. 1. There is no need for wet-chemical solvents in the fabrication process. Consequently, the manufacturing process of the present invention is a highly precise dry process, which can be inexpensively automated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention may be more easily understood with reference to the following figure:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a method in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

These advantages may also be realized in other embodiments of the present invention in which lenses are made from adsorbed molecules which polymerize in the corpuscular beam. During exposure, the adsorbed molecules settle out of the vapor phase onto the surface. With beam-induced deposition, no further development is required and the product is ready following the deposition process. Using this embodiment of the invention, through appropriate material selection, highly refractive materials or materials adapted to a refractive index can be applied as lenses or as anti-reflecting layer sequences.

The material selection process is carried out by varying the precursor molecular beam. This process can be automated and incorporated into the exposure-control process. In this way, desired refractive profiles and structures that otherwise would require many complex process steps may be produced. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for fabricating polymer layers using dry-resist technology, the polymer layers forming a three-dimensional structure for use in refractive integrated optics, the method comprising the steps of: applying to a substrate a dry resist that is polymerizable through exposure; exposing the dry resist with a dose apportionment of radiation, the dose apportionment being predefined as a function of a space and time to polymerize a structure region, the structure region being precalculated with submicrometer precision using image-processing methods and corresponding to a desired refractive optical structure suitable for use in integrated fiber and/or solid state laser optics; and separating using a dry process the polymerized structure region from unexposed dry resist.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the dry resist contains octavinylsilsesquioxane, the dry resist being polymerizable through photon or corpuscular beams.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the structure region polymerized through exposure is separated from the dry resist by a physical development process.
 4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the physical development process includes heating under a vacuum.
 5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the physical development process includes heating by air.
 6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the structure region polymerized through exposure is separated from the dry resist by a dry-chemical development process.
 7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the dry-chemical development process includes processing in a gas discharge.
 8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the substrate is an end surface of an optical structure.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of applying and exposing include the steps of providing molecules in vapor phase above the substrate, polymerizing the molecules passing through a corpuscular beam, and precipitating polymerized molecules onto the substrate.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the substrate is an optical structure. 